Clueless - An example of a Teen Angst

 Clueless is one of the most classic and famous teen angst films there is, it was produced and released in 1995.

Narratives

The whole film is based around the life of Cher, a stereotypical female in the 1990's often described as superficial and wealthy the film takes us through the struggles that she, along with many others, face as through typical life problems such as driving tests, boys and family dramas. This is linked to the teen angst genre as it conveys stereotypical conventions of these, which attracts a teenage audience as they feel they can relate to this, such as the lead character in the film having long blonde hair and being a popular, rich girl that everyone is jealous of or wants to be. 

Mise en Scene

Mise en scene was crucial when creating the characters personalities and egos, this was mainly through costumes and make up all iconography of a stereotypical female, as you see in the picture above the girls are shown in short skirts and popular fashions of that era, the mobile phones suggest the girls came from wealth and this was also portrayed in locations set in the girls homes, one example was Chers home which props were used alot showing off her cars outside and the posh interiors and technologies emphasizing her wealth.

 The lighting used was mainly all high key as it is a fairly comical film with a small amount of serious topics within, this lighting was often from the daylight of the location set in Beverly Hills, also renowned for the wealthy and famous.

Actors

Alicia Silverstone as Cher - Cher is seen as a stereotypical dumb female leading a group of 'popular' girls, shown with blonde hair and blue eyes she fits all the conventions of a stereotypical female lead in a teen angst film.

Stacey Dash as Dionne Davenport -  Dionne is the largest counter type in the film, as she not white American, she is also seen to be very caring in contrast to Cher making her more of a protagonist.

Elisa Donovan as Amber Mariens -  Amber is Chers and Dionnes rival within the film, portrayed as a antagonist and is in constant rivalry with the other girls.

Camera Work

Tracking is one of the most used camera shots used in the film, mainly to show the girls walking through the school corridors, this is also mainly used at a low angle to emphasize the power that the girls have within the school environment.

Mid shots are often used to show the conversations between the two main characters, these often show facial expressions.

Long shots are also used to show the fancy houses and exterior of the locations that the girls are in to emphasize their wealth.

The Settings

I have previously mentioned that the film was set in Beverly Hills, known for its celebrity status and wealthy residents. This impacts the film as it creates the characters to be young aspiring celebrities and fashion icons, brought up with brand new technology the girls are all portrayed to be fashion-conscious and attached to their phones all the time.